The Mists of Time
by Saber-kun
Summary: *Originally The Chronicles of Cybertron* Delve into the past of three bots, and explore their lives. Learn about the past, present, and future of Cybertron, and how these three mechs' lives intertwine. Learn secrets you never knew about them, and prepare for an adventure full of romance, adventure, and war. Rated T for gore. New cover coming soon!
1. Distant Little Memories

**AN: Here we are. How did you like the summary? Anyways, this is the rewrite of my previous story, Specters of the Past.**

**I do not own Transformers Prime; Hasbro does.**

**This chapter is inspired by Revive's song, Distant Memories.**

**Some warnings: Ratchet is a Seeker in this story and will be extremely OC for a while. There will also be close OC involvement, and some of the bots may be changed (different personalities, etc.). I have not read the comics, so please do not be too harsh if I get something wrong (although I may change some of the plotlines because they seem so cheesy *cough* Pharma wanting revenge for the theft of his hands. *cough* -_-).**

**Some info: Ratchet lives in Praxus. He has an older brother named Whiplash, and his little brother will be named Flatline (and yes, I know there is already a Flatline, but he's not in the story so I don't think that will be a problem). Ratchet's sire is called Haywire and his carrier is Firewall. They are both gladiators and miners, but Firewall is temporarily excused because of her hatchling (AKA Flatline). That reminds me, I am using the idea of hatchlings from the Bayverse.  
An orn is the equivalent to a human year.  
Wheeljack lives with his little brother, Pyro, and their creators, Frontline and Wildfire.  
Ultra Magnus lives with his older brother, Kup. Their creators were known as Volt and Rebound, but they are deceased.  
Delta Prime is the ruling Prime. Sentinel is his apprentice.**

**Alright, now that my little spiel is over, we can get to the story!**

* * *

"You see, young one, there were many more before us. First, there were Unicron and Primus, the masters of creation and destruction. Primus is our Great Creator, and is a being of power too great for us to understand. Unicron is his brother, the force of chaos and destruction.

"Primus and Unicron fought, and eventually Primus won the battle. He banished Unicron to the Pit, and peace reigned. Primus created thirteen powerful beings called Primes-"

"Like Delta Prime?"

"Yes, young one. Now hush, and do not interrupt your carrier again."

"As I was saying, Primus created thirteen Primes. Prima, the leader and the first. Vector Prime, the guardian of time and space. Alpha Prime, the archivist and keeper of the past, present, and future. Solus Prime, the only femme, the weapon-smith. Micronus Prime, the first Mini-Con. Alchemist Prime, the "Elemental"; he was a scientist, but an enforcer as well. Nexus Prime, the first Combiner, separated into five parts who could think on their own. Onyx Prime, was the first bot to transform into a beast. Amalgamous Prime, the "Shape-Shifter", who could transform into _anything_. Quintus Prime, the creator of the Quintessons and the scientist. Liege Maximo was like Prima's counterpart, his evil twin, if you will. Megatronus Prime was also a traitor, the guardian of chaos. It is rumored that he was the spawn of Unicron himself - a poisoned hatchling."

"Tell me about the final one, Carrier! He's my favorite!"

"Oh, alright. Optimus Prime was the weld lines that kept them all together, the voice of reason within the group."

Firewall looked down lovingly at her ten-orn son. His white and red armor gleamed in the dim light of the lamp, and his optic shutters were starting to droop over his cerulean optics. His wings were starting to droop as well, though he tried to keep them perked, hoping to hear another story. He resembled his sire, Haywire, closely. The chevron and optics being the most prominent similarities. However, he gained some of Firewall's attributes as well. He was not nearly as calm as Haywire, and had a fiery temper.

"Lemme take him."

Firewall nodded to her sparkmate as he took their son in his arms. He was only six orns old, still very young. Haywire cooed as he lowered the mechling onto his small berth. Suddenly the door creaked open, signaling the entrance of Haywire's twelve-orn son, Whiplash.

"G'night, Li'l Bro," Whiplash whispered as he patted his brother's helm. Haywire smiled, then ushered him out of the room. He flicked off the lights, then closed the door softly.

"Goodnight, Ratchet."

* * *

Firewall patted the chrysalis gently, not wanting to damage the hatchling within. It was due to hatch any day now, and Firewall couldn't wait. For one, she wanted to know if it would be a mech or femme. Secretly, she was hoping that it would be a femme, it was tiring being the only one in the house.

"How's it holdin' up?" Haywire asked as he walked in, smiling when Firewall looked up in surprise.

"Good. It looks healthy," she answered, leaning against his chassis.

"Tomorrow I go back to the Pit," he whispered in her audio receptor. Firewall punched him in the servo. "Don't say that."

"It's true, they are called the Gladiator Pits. Besides, it feels like the Pit."

"It makes it sound like you're never coming back."

"Maybe I won't."

Firewall turned around, coolant rushing to her optics. "Haywire-" she started, but he swiftly put a digit to her lip plating. "You know I'll always come back, Sweetspark," he murmured reassuringly. "The Praxian Pits aren't nearly as bad as those in Kaon or Blaster City."

"I know."

"Good."

"Just…be careful. Please."

"I always am."

* * *

**AN: How did you like it? Please leave a review telling me how I did! Just no flames, please; and try to keep the comments kind. I have Chapter 2 finished, but I won't post it until I get some reviews!**


	2. Born of Cold and Winter Air

**AN: The song is mine, I made it up. ^^ Anyway, this chapter is all about Magnus! If you didn't know, a war cloud is like a feeling that war is coming. The song foreshadows what is to come. ;D By the way, I had to change the name of the story because there was another story that already had the same name, and we didn't want any confusion.**

* * *

_Clang._

_Crack._

"Wait up, Kup!"

Pede-steps echoed on the cold metal ground as a young mechling, only six or seven orns, rushed after his big brother, who was about fourteen orns. The mechling was red and blue, with hints of white. His brother was a swampy green, and looked nearly nothing like the younger bot. Yet brothers they were, no matter what.

"I can't wait forever, Magnus!" Kup called back, growing impatient.

Magnus stumbled toward his brother, finally catching up to him. "Can I help? Please?" he asked, forming that one expression that no adult (or teen, for that matter) can resist. Kup finally relented, picking up a pickaxe and tossing it to his brother. "Knock yourself out, Bro."

Magnus grinned as he struggled to lift the enormous mining tool. He finally slung it over his shoulder and staggered after Kup, casting a lopsided grin at any who looked his way.

_"Morning, noon, night._

_We've long forgotten the look of light._

_Down in these pits we slave away,_

_Waiting for Judgement Day._

_We strike the metal,_

_(Let it ring!)_

_Soft and loud,_

_(Let it sing!)_

_As we see the telltale signs of a war cloud._

_Morning, noon, night._

_We've long forgotten the look of light._

_Down in these pits we slave away,_

_Waiting for Judgement Day!"_

If the High Council were to ever hear the miners of Blaster City singing this song, they would all be terminated. The lyrics and melody may be solemn, but it held a hope for brighter days; times of equality among all.

Magnus tried to sing along, but his young voice and his limited knowledge of the lyrics did him no justice. Kup sighed as crouched beside his brother and patted him on the helm. "Hey, why don't you run to the marketplace and get some energon tonight, alright buddy?" he asked. Magnus's expression soured, but he finally nodded and handed the pickaxe to Kup, before heading out of the mines.

He ran to the marketplace and quickly traded a few credits for some energon cubes. Then he sprinted to the home his brother and he shared, an old abandoned building bordering Blaster City, close to Kaon. Once there, he would wait for a few breems until Kup returned from the mine.

Magnus slowly put his servos together and bowed his helm, shuttering his optics and pulling his knee struts close to his chassis. Then he whispered a small prayer, as he did every night cycle; a prayer to Primus to keep his brother safe and sound down in the mines.

"Come home soon, Kup."

* * *

**AN: Did you see the little G1 reference I made there? Alright, if you didn't, here it is: in the '80's movie the theme song lyrics said "It's Judgement Day and now we've made our stand". I used the words "Judgement Day" in my song. ;) There you go, just a little G1 stuff tossed in because I felt like it. Also, the title of the chapter comes from the mining song in the new movie, Frozen, called Frozen Hearts. Look it up, you'll like it.**

**FYI: The next chapter will be about Wheeljack (I think...XD)**

**Enjoy!**


	3. Take Me From This Sadness

**AN: Sorry it took a while to update; I had concerts, flute lessons, choir, etc. It's been a very busy week! Just a little timeline, by the way:**

**Ratchet and Ultra Magnus are the same age. Wheeljack is an orn younger. The first chapter is five orns before the Second Quintesson War, the second is four orns away, and this one is one orn away.**

**The chapter title is inspired by Decyfer Down's song, Memory.**

* * *

"Oh, now you've gone and done it!"

"What?"

"We're lost!"

"It's not _my_ fault! _You're_ the one with the map!"

A small white, red, and green mechling growled at his little brother, an orange and scarlet mechling. The older one was about eight orns old, and his little brother was three orns. They were standing in front of an alleyway in Polyhex, far from home. The sun was just beginning to set, the moons beginning to rise. The night cycle was beginning, and the brothers still had no clue where their home was.

The white mechling activated his holo-map and looked at it, the blue light it cast shining onto his armor, turning it a silvery blue.

"Hurry it up, Jackie!"

Jackie raised a digit to his lip plating and shushed his brother, then looked back to the map, still trying to find their home. "Uh…" He cleared his vocalizer with a burst of static and started again. "Pyro, do you know our address?" Pyro sighed and shook his head. "Nope."

Pyro vented in exasperation as Wheeljack deactivated the holo-map. "How about we call-"

"No!"

He looked at his big brother in surprise.

"Why not?"

"If we call anyone, then we'll be in huge trouble! Remember what happened last time?"

Pyro shuddered at the thought of their last adventure. They had nearly been caught by a few rebellious street mechs. When they had finally returned home (after calling some enforcers) they were grounded for a quartex.

Wheeljack waved to his brother, then jumped up onto a long energon pipe and shimmied up it, eventually making his way onto the roof of the Polyhexian building. "We can jump the roof tops - find our way home from there," he told Pyro, a servo shielding his optics from the setting sun.

Pyro huffed as he made his way up the pipe, finally heaving himself onto the building and scrambling up. Together the mechlings ran quickly across the rooftops, making their way home. They may not have known the streets very well, but they sure knew the topside of the city-states.

* * *

"We're here."

Wheeljack looked out over the open walkway, and could barely see their home from his position.

"We'll have to take the street from here."

Pyro groaned, but followed his brother as he climbed down the building and scampered across the street, not even bothering to look both ways before crossing. The slums of Polyhex were a grim sight to many. Sure, they weren't as bad as Kaon or Blaster City, but they were far from the best.

"Carrier, we're home!" called Wheeljack as he pushed the door open. Specks of dust were brushed up into the air as he opened the door wider, and the room was lit with only a single lamp. It cast a melancholy glow on the small home, and illuminated the particles of dust even further.

Pyro shivered and dashed behind his big brother, clutching his armor and peeking out from behind his struts. Wheeljack murmured to him and lay a consoling servo on his helm, then crept forward and looked around, uncertainty in his optics.

"Carrier?" he called again, still receiving no answer. Pyro whimpered and edged even further behind the larger mechling. Wheeljack converted his servo to a flashlight, one of the only transformations a mechling his age was allowed to make. He cast the light about, but found nothing.

The only places left to look were he and Pyro's room, their creators' room, and the energon consumption room. Wheeljack took a deep intake, then walked down the unlit hallway, Pyro trailing sheepishly.

The first two rooms were empty. The last room was their creators' room. Cautiously, Wheeljack crept into the room. It was pitch black; not even the light from his optics shone through. The light of his flashlight had run out of power long ago.

Pyro suddenly flicked on the lights, and both mechlings yelped at what became visible to them. Their creators lay on the double berth, motionless and gunmetal-gray, terminated.

* * *

**AN: A little sad...Anyway, the next chapter will be about Backbeat, my OC!**


	4. Looking For a Way Out

**A/N: I felt a burst of inspiration over this chapter, so enjoy! By the way, the chapters will kind of actually follow a plot line from now since I know where this fic is going. XD**

**Just to clear up some issues: think of Remix like the Arcee sisters from Bayverse, alright? That's what I mean with the one wheel thing. XD**

**A strut is the Cybertronian term for a leg, just in case you didn't know. TFP Ratchet used the term in Predacons Rising.**

**Also, a huge shout-out to Answerthecall! You have stuck by me since my first work, and for that I'm very greatful. You have kept me motivated and gave me inspiration to keep typing. =]**

* * *

Many would think that Kaon was the worst place to live, and they were certainly right. However, Kaon had its pros as well as its cons.

When a Cybertronian youngling came of age, AKA sixteen orns, they chose an altmode for themselves. Before the age of sixteen orns, younglings were only allowed to have minimal loads on their T-cogs. Things such as flashlights, tweezers, and necessities were the only things allowed.

A family living in Kaon was preparing for that special day when a youngling "grows up", as the creators always put it. Shortcircuit and Afterglow were beaming with joy, bustling around their humble abode, preparing for the trip into the city to look for altmodes.

Meanwhile, Remix, the femme coming of age, was laying flat on her berth. Her winglets were flattened out behind her, and her two wheels were spinning in agitation. Remix's sire, Shortcircuit, was a Racer, or a bot with doorwings and wheels. Her carrier, Afterglow, was a Seeker, a bot with wings. Remix was a Two-Wheeler, something akin to a motorcycle. She had two wheels, obviously, and winglets.

Suddenly their was movement on Remix's silver chassis as a small heap moved and stretched, letting out a yawn. "G'morning, sis," muttered the black Seekerlet as she crawled off of her sister. Remix patted Backbeat's helm, chuckling affectionately. Backbeat, her little sister, was nine orns old. She had black and red-orange (but they just called it red) armor, black being the dominant color.

Remix, on the other servo, had chrome/silver armor like her sire. Her carrier was silver, black, and gold, so they assumed that Backbeat had gotten the red from her uncle, Haywire. He was Afterglow's brother, and had a family in Praxus. He and his sparkmate, Firewall, were both gladiators in the Praxian Pits. Afterglow often reminded her family how lucky her brother and his family were, seeing as they didn't have to live in or near the Kaon Pits. Remix thought she often heard a hint of jealousy in her carrier's voice.

Remix had only met her cousins once. She had been twelve orns at the time, only an orn younger than one of her cousins, Whiplash. Her other cousin, Ratchet, had been six orns. Backbeat had been five. If she recalled correctly, they had visited their Praxian cousins because Firewall and Haywire had hatched a third youngling, a mech. They had named him Flatline, and to tell the truth, he was a cute little thing. He had red and white armor like his sire, but also had a lot of bright orange from his carrier.

Remix shook her helm. She shouldn't dwell on the past. Besides, she was meeting Flashback today! Flashback was Remix's…erm, _friend_. They had grown up in Kaon together, and among Remix's other friends, he was her best. They were going with her sire to choose their altmodes.

"Bye, sis!" called Backbeat as she swiftly vacated the room, speed enhancers activating with a click. A smooth mask slid over her faceplate, and the takeoff wheels on her pedes disconnected from their locked positions, lifting her pedes off the ground and letting the wheels take over. Finally, the thrusters in the heels of her pedes activated, propelling her forward with a burst of flame.

You see, there was a strange thing about her family. Only some of those in their family had it though. As far as she knew, Ratchet, Flatline, Whiplash, and Backbeat had the abilities, as did Afterglow and Haywire. Most bots had yellow optics, the universal optic color, although some decided on custom coloration, it was not common. It was known that red energon turned the optics a pinkish color, dark energon was purple, and high grade made them fritz like mad, sometimes changing the color a light pink like the fluid. It was unheard of for a bots' optics to change color randomly, or based on a "disease".

At least, that's what most thought. Afterglow claimed it had been a glitch in their family's coding since the Quintessons created them, and had followed the generations. Each affected bot had a "trigger" of sorts. For example, Remix had discovered that Whiplash's trigger was the need to protect. Harm or threaten his family, and boom! His optics turned a distinct shade of green and he lost control. He became stronger and faster, but seemed to lose some of his logic.

Of course, the speed enhancers were just add-ons. Remix and Shortcircuit weren't blessed with them, it seemed to be only Seekers (especially Seekers with her family's "gift") that gained the ability of speed. Remix had to admit that she felt jealous at times; she loved speed! The feeling of the wind in her wheels, the breeze slipping past her winglets, her audio receptors tuned to every musical note in the atmosphere, and her stylish visor clicked over her optics protectively. Remix hadn't been able to transform into an altmode, but she had still been able to roll.

Two-Wheelers came in many different shapes and sizes. Although most were slim, some had certain assets that others did not. Remix was one of the few who could connect her struts, forming one long strut to roll around on. The other wheel moved up the back of her trods, allowing her complete control. It helped her improve her balance, really, preparing her for the day she obtained her altmode.

A sharp cry of "Remix, get down here now! We have to leave if we're going to meet Flashback!" snapped her out of her reverie. Remix sighed and pulled herself to her pedes, stretching and casually walking towards her sire's voice.

* * *

"Why didn't we just pick the one that was three markets back?" Remix groaned, rubbing her helm in frustration. Flashback rolled his helm around, easing a crick in his neck cabling, then nodded. Shortcircuit rolled around and pointed a digit as them. "Because I want what is _best_ for you!" he cried. "I don't want you getting some scrappy altmode that does you no justice!"

Remix merely rolled her optics and groaned dramatically, then cast a sideways glance at Flashback. The mech in question leaned in to her audio receptor and whispered, "Control _freak_!" Remix snorted, then followed her sire into the market to look at more potential altmodes.

"How's this?" Shortcircuit asked, pointing to a slick-looking cycle. Remix walked closer and looked at it admiringly. It had a powerful engine, but was curvy and attractive all the same. Remix grinned and quickly scanned it, leaving no room for her sire to argue.

Meanwhie, Flashback had found his own sweet ride to scan. A new model, it was equipped with a roaring engine, smooth rims, and futuristic doors, something that would surely add sauce to his bipedal mode. He quickly scanned it, gritting his denta against the light pain that followed as his armor reformatted itself to match the dimensions of the automobile.

Remix, Shortcircuit, and Flashback met back up at the entrance to the market. Flashback and Remix admired eachothers new modifications, before Remix smirked challengingly. "Hey Flash, you wanna race?" she asked. Flashback glanced at her and grinned. "You're on!"

They transformed and raced off with a roar, leaving a faint smell of burning rubber. Shortcircuit sighed and shook his helm, but quickly followed suit.

It was just as she imagined it to be; the road beneath her wheels, the wind rushing past her winglets, Remix was in paradise. She was yanked from that haven, though, as something landed in her path with a rumble, causing her to swerve to avoid impact. Transforming, Remix faced the offender with a growl, but her expression faded when she caught sight of the thing.

It was tall and green, and looked slimy. A light iron chestplate adorned its front, and its multiple legs waved in perpetual movement. The thing hissed at her, then pulled out a laser rifle and pointed it directly at her.

Remix wasn't stupid, and she knew that in this proximity, the blast would terminate her instantly. Frantically, she searched her memory banks, trying to determine what the creature was. Suddenly she wished she hadn't left Flashback to eat her dust, he would sure be a big help right about now!

Then it clicked. She knew what the creature was: a Quintesson. Created by Quintus Prime, the Quintessons enslaved the bots already living on Cybertron, and started building their own. The art of sparkmerging and sparking hatchlings was lost to the sands of time, and bots started becoming precisely what organics called them: robots. Then one cycle, a few bots rose up. Led by A3, who was secretly Alpha Prime in disguise, they staged a revolution. Eventually, the bots prevailed. Sparkmerging and sparking became common again, and the Quintessons were thought to be extinct.

"Thought" being the key word here. Remix dodged as the Quintesson struck at her again, but she knew she couldn't keep it up forever. How long did it take a single Racer to come to her aid? Flashback was either too slow, or…_Scrap!_ Flashback had probably been caught by a Quintesson as well, leaving Remix to fend for herself.

The Quintesson lunged again, and Remix dodged once more. Then she twirled around on one pede, having disconnected her struts, and crashed her palm against the Quintesson's jaw, slamming his teeth together and causing him to howl in pain when he bit his tongue. He angrily grabbed her servo and lifted it high, pulling the rest of her along with it, then he slammed her into the ground.

Remix lay stunned on the ground for a nanoklik, before she pushed herself up and took a fighting stance. _I guess I should be lucky Sire taught me self-defense,_ she thought as she pushed her enemy to the ground with a powerful knife strike.

Suddenly she felt a sickening wrench on her spark, and she collapsed to the ground. Her cooling fans activated with a hiss, and she doubled over, clutching her chassis. One of the bonds tied to her spark flickered out.

Shortcircuit was terminated.

Remix shuddered with horror as she fully realized what had happened. Her sire had been terminated by a Quintesson! She suddenly straightened when she felt cold steel touch her neck cables, and her gaze snapped up to the Quintesson, who's yellow eyes glowed in triumph. She stared strickenly at him, optics hollow with grief. She had just enough time to send apologies to her carrier and sister through the bond before the sword was brought down, ending her.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, so the Quintessons have been introduced and the second war has just begun. The next chapter will have more Backbeat and Afterglow in it, as well as some possible interaction between Backbeat and Ratchet.**

**Why do I have to write so much sad stuff? DX**

**Oh yeah, the title idea was by Baasik's song: Evacuate.**


	5. Brink of the Unknown

**A/N: I finally got this up! By the way, I recently got my friend registered on the site. Her name is XxSoundwave6xX. I edited her story for her (but once I started reading it I realized I could have done better -_- *cough*I forgot to italicize some stuff.*cough*) Anyways, don't mind my OCD. XD I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**The title was inspired by Linkin Park's song, Iridescent, which was used in Transformers: Dark of the Moon.**

* * *

The Iaconian safe house was huge. Of course, it had to be in order to hold the entire population of Iacon. Unfortunately, that's not was it was holding.  
The Quintessons had invaded, killing everything in sight. They wanted revenge for their defeat so long ago. Most of the bots they had built when they ruled were ancestors of the present-cycle bots living on Cybertron now, and they considered these bots to be theirs. They claimed the right to do anything they wanted: terminate, build, enslave; but the bots didn't fall for it.

As a result of the chaos, all sparklings and younglings were locked in the Iaconian safety vaults. Elite Guard soldiers guarded them at all times, making sure that no enemies entered.

The High Council was serious when they ordered all younglings to be brought to Iacon for safety reasons. They had rounded up every stray hooligan under the age of sixteen orns and practically dragged some of them to Iacon.

That was where Ratchet was now. He, Backbeat, and Flatline all sat together in their little corner, watching as the other younglings milled around. Flatline leaned into his older brother, seeking comfort, and Ratchet obliged. He was now ten orns old, and the eldest out of the trio. Backbeat was nine, and Flatline was five.

They had been taken to the vaults after their creators (and Ratchet's brother) had been called to war. Ratchet stilled remembered the cycle they had left.

* * *

_It was a few cycles after the arrival of Backbeat and Afterglow. His creators and Afterglow had been talking, discussing the war and exchanging worried glances. Whiplash had been charged with watching all three younglings, much to his annoyance. Nevertheless, he watched them diligently and entertained them to the best of his ability._

_Then one day there had been a knock on the door. Ratchet ran up to it, eager to answer. He opened the door to see a tall, blue mech standing there, a blaster attached to his hip plating and a serious look on his scarred faceplate, as well as a data pad in his servos. Behind him stood two other mechs: a blue and red one who couldn't have been much older than Ratchet was, and his older brother or something, a green mech._

_"Hi!" called Ratchet cheerfully, but grew confused when the tall mech only cast him an annoyed glance. The youngling noticed that his yellow optics were dull with pain and sadness._

_"Youngling!" he finally barked. "Where are your creators?" Ratchet shrugged. "I dunno."_

_"Right here, sir!" called Haywire as he rushed outside, Afterglow and Firewall on his tail._

_"Are you the one called Haywire?" asked the army mech. Haywire nodded._

_"I am Commander Hailstone. You have been called upon to serve your planet in the Cybertronian army. Cybertron is being attacked by Quintessons, as you no doubt know, and we need all the support as we can get. I see you have Afterglow and Firewall with you. They have also been called to arms."_

_Firewall bowed her helm in acknowledgement, but Afterglow protested. "But sir, I don't know how to fight! Besides, I have a femmeling who needs my care!"_

_"All younglings are being guided to Iacon for safety precautions." Hailstone looked through his data pad, and paused at one section. "Do you have a mechling named Whiplash?" he inquired. Haywire nodded. "Since he is seventeen orns of age, one orn older than the required age for joining the army, he is also being called upon."_

_Firewall gasped. She knew he would bring the topic up, but it still surprised her. "I…I'll get him," she murmured faintly, before trudging up the steps to her son's room._

_About five kliks later, the whole family was gathered near the door. Hailstone nodded to the adults and Whiplash. "We are on our way to Iacon now. We are bringing all bots with us. Please gather all your valuables," he said before turning and walking into the street._

_Ratchet, Flatline, and Backbeat grabbed their things and entered the transport vehicle waiting for them. Whiplash sat next to them silently, gently rubbing Ratchet's back strut in comfort. Backbeat lay her helm on Afterglow's lap, and Flatline fell asleep in Firewall's servos._

_When they had arrived, there had been enough time for a short goodbye at the most. Whiplash promised to visit Ratchet and Flatline, while Afterglow whispered oaths to Backbeat. Haywire and Firewall hugged their younglings, then stood and left with Hailstone and the other teenage mech, Kup. Whiplash and Kup were joining the Wreckers, while the others were joining the Elite Guard._

_The other youngling, Magnus, had turned to them with a solemn expression on his faceplate. "Well, I guess it's just us," he muttered. Backbeat immediately saw an opportunity to cheer someone up, so she ran forward and gave the older mechling a hug. "It'll be alright," she reassured. "I'm sure your bro will be fine," she said while grinning up at him. Magnus looked back down at her, a small smile forming on his faceplate._

* * *

That left them where they were now. Magnus had wandered off to talk to other younglings. Finally, Flatline stood up and went off to explore. Backbeat remained, though, and shifted closer to her cousin, coolant slipping out of her optics in small leaks.

Ratchet put his servo around her shoulder pad and hugged her close as she buried her helm in his chassis, frame racking with sobs. Already, she had lost her carrier. They had known it was inevitable. Afterglow had not been a gladiator, she had been an educator, but had nonetheless been forced into the war.

Suddenly Ratchet felt a touch on his shoulder pad. He flinched and turned around to see two mechlings looking at him with sympathy. One of them was bright red with teal servos and a gray crest on his helm. The other one was red and white with blue struts and a white chevron and red crest.

"What do you want?" Ratchet asked shakily. The red mechling frowned and removed his servo. "You look like you need something to cheer you up," he said. "I'm Perceptor, but you can call me Percy. This is Pharma," he said, gesturing to the mechling beside him, who waved.

Ratchet looked at them in confusion. Why would they want to help _him_? He was just a ten-orn old youngling from Praxus! "I'm Ratchet," he muttered anyway. Perceptor smiled at him, then took his servo and helped him to his pedes. "Why don't we show you around? We've been here a while, so we know this place inside-out."

Ratchet was about to protest; he needed to stay with Backbeat and keep an optic on Flatline, but he turned around to see that they had both forgotten about him.

Flatline was in the middle of the room, talking to an orange and scarlet youngling excitedly. Backbeat was a little ways away, talking to - what he assumed to be - the other mechling's older brother, a red, green, and white youngling. Ratchet sighed in defeat. "Alright."

As they walked down the hallways, Perceptor and Pharma told Ratchet about their lives before the war. Perceptor had been an orphan living on the streets of Crystal City with a few other younglings, including Pharma. Perceptor was ten orns old, and Pharma was nine.

"The rest of our comrades are in here. They rounded us all up together, and we stuck together after that," Perceptor said. "There are a lot of younglings here - and not just from Crystal City. It started out as just our little group: me, Pharma, and Wolfsbane, Pharma's little sister. We ran from city to city, gathering more orphans as we went. In Polyhex we picked up Jackie and his little brother, Pyro. We got a group of four from Kalis. They were fending for themselves after running from their home. Thundercracker's the oldest, but Skywarp is only an orn younger. Starscream is the youngest, and Slipstream is a little older than him."

Ratchet looked around uncertainly, but Pharma put a servo on his shoulder pad and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, you'll be fine."

One of the sparklings approached the trio and grinned at them, waving to Pharma. "Hey!" he said. "I'm Thundercracker, but you can call me TC." Thundercracker offered his servo out to Ratchet, who took it hesitantly. "How old are you?" Thundercracker asked. "I'm ten."

Ratchet smiled a little and murmured: "I'm ten." This earned a cheerful grin from Thundercracker. "Cool!"

"Hey, TC, are you coming or not?" called a second youngling with dark blue armor. "We can't wait forever! We need your help to organize this!"

Ratchet frowned in confusion. Organize what? Suddenly Thundercracker leaned towards him and whispered, "We're gonna sneak out this night cycle. We wanna see Iacon; you know, being hatched in Kalis and all. Starscream convinced us, but we all want to see what a high-class place looks like compared to…well, Kalis. I'm just glad we weren't hatched in Kaon. I heard that was the first place to be invaded."

Ratchet glanced at him and opened his mouth, but was immediately cut off by Thundercracker. "Of course you can come! We're all going, but in pairs. First it'll be Skywarp and I, then Starscream and Slipstream. After that, Jackie and Pyro; then Pharma and Wolfsbane. You can go with Percy," he said. Ratchet smiled and nodded. "I'll go with Percy," he confirmed. Thundercracker grinned. "Alright!" he cheered. "We'll come and get you when we're ready to go."

* * *

He had to admit, it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. Ratchet had thought that all the younglings would be crammed together, but he was wrong. Sure, it was a little cramped, but spacious enough for him to be comfortable.

There were stacked berths against the walls, large enough for at least two younglings. Backbeat, Ratchet, and Flatline were put in one stacked berth. Backbeat insisted on the top berth, so Ratchet and Flatline took the bottom. Flatline powered down against the wall, with Ratchet on the edge, near the floor. He stayed online though, and didn't even shutter his optics. He didn't want Thundercracker to leave him out because he couldn't wake him up!

"_Psst_."

Ratchet lifted his helm and peered into the darkness, squinting his optics. Finally giving up, he engaged his visor. He flinched back with a startled gasp when the lithe shape of Thundercracker appeared before him.

Thundercracker clapped a servo over his mouth and put a digit to his own. "Shut it!" he whispered. "We're leaving. C'mon!"

The younglings silently left the room. Unbeknownst to them, a dark shadow slipped out behind them, trailing them through the vaults until they reached the exit.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah...Starscream and his family are from Kalis. Hey, did anyone else go to ComiCon? I entered a raffle for a Bayverse Optimus Prime, but I didn't win. =( I'll be at the TF Expo though in Wichita! Sumalee Montano is going to be there (she voices Arcee from TFP)! Neil Ross will be there too (G1 Springer, Slag, Hook, and Bonecrusher!). *strokes chin thoughtfully* I wonder if Michael Ironside, Jeffrey Combs, and James Horan will be there (Magnus, Ratchet, and Jackie). Only 101 days until the fourth movie! *squeals* I think Galvatron is in it...? Lockdown's head turns into a gun. O.O Optimus gets shot (sorry, but I don't like him that much; I respect him and all, but considering how many times he's come back to life...just, no. -_-)!**

**Something I forgot to mention: In my story, all the bots had yellow optics before the Autobot-Decepticon War. After that, they changed their optic colors based on their faction. Oh, and yes, Ratchet can activate a visor and battle mask (later in the story), as well as his speed mask, tires, and jets (speed enhancers). Backbeat is the same way.**

**I will be making a DeviantArt account soon! I'll be sure to tell you when I do. I will have pics of Ratchet, Jackie, Magnus, Backbeat, etc. up ASAP.**

**I'm so excited for later in the story (when they're teens)! Be warned, you may be laughing your aft off! XD**

**Anyways; any guesses for who their shadow is?**


	6. I Feel Like a Monster

**AN: Hey! Sorry for the long wait, guys. I have school, homework, and I'm sick, so I haven't really been on here much. Anyways, enjoy!**

**Oh yeah, the title comes from Monster by Skillet.**

* * *

Ratchet and Perceptor flitted from shadow to shadow. They saw a few Quintessons, but were not seen themselves. He had to admit, it was thrilling. The buildings of Iacon glinted in the moonlight, creating an illusion of mystery and magic. Apparently the fighting stopped when the night cycle arrived, as both sides needed their rest. But squads of Elite Guard soldiers stilled patrolled at night.

"Hey, look!" whispered Perceptor as he pointed across the road. "What's that?" Ratchet squinted into the darkness, and was about to turn back to Perceptor when the shadow moved, and a four-legged creature darted away. His optics widened in surprise. "Woah!" Perceptor was already following the thing, though, and dragged Ratchet along with him. "C'mon, we have to go!"

They trailed it through the city of Iacon, keeping it in their sights, but never catching up to it. When they reached the outskirts of Iacon, where a large wall encompassed the city, the creature turned around and released a feral growl. It had bright orange optics that glinted in the dark, and its armor was black and purple, with a bit of orange. Then, to both the younglings' surprise, it transformed.

The bot was a youngling as well, but a lot younger than them. Ratchet and Perceptor were about ten orns, but the youngling before them looked to be six, a little bit older than Flatline. She was mostly black, but with with orange optics. She had orange biolights all over her frame in the form of stripes, and dark purple detailing.

"Um…Hi?" Perceptor said uncomfortably. The femme tilted her helm and regarded him curiously. "Hello," she whispered with a small grin, showing off her fangs. Ratchet shifted his weight to his other pede nervously. "Hi," he said. "Who are you?" he asked.

The femmeling smiled at him. "I'm Saber," she answered, staring at him with intense optics. Now that he looked closer, Ratchet could tell that while Saber _was_ a Seeker, she was also part Lupin. Saber must have noticed his stare, because she approached him and crouched down. "Yes, I am a Lupin," she told him. Ratchet nodded, his faceplate blue with embarrassment.

"Why did you follow us, Saber?" Perceptor asked. Saber turned to him and shrugged. "I had to get out of that stinky place. I would have brought my friends, but I didn't want to disturb them," she said.

Perceptor nodded. "Who are your friends?"

"Well, first, there's my 'sister', Sola. We're really close. Then, there's Soundwave and Airachnid. We're kinda misfits, so we all stick together."

Ratchet turned away from the conversation when he heard something suspicious. "Hello?" he called, staring nervously into the darkness of the alleyways. "I-is anyone there?"

"Me."

Ratchet yelped and leapt back as a blade came flashing through the darkness, wielded by a large slimy creature: a Quintesson.

"Oh, how nice! Soft, tender younglings for me, and _only_ me!" cried the lone Quintesson, its smirk showing off its array of pointy teeth.

"Uh, no thanks!" Perceptor said as he backed away. Saber transformed into her Lupin form and grabbed Perceptor by his pede, dragging him out of harm's way. She ran back to Ratchet, but the Quintesson knocked her aside. He approached her, holding her down with a tentacle as he lifted his blade above his head.

Ratchet looked up and his optics widened. He felt anger course through him, and his vision flashed green. He suddenly felt himself leaping up and grabbing the Quintesson's blade, then slashing the creature. Yellow blood spilled out of its wounds as it collapsed onto the ground - lifeless.

Saber stared at the husk for a while, before looking up at Ratchet with disbelieving optics. "How did you do that?" she finally managed. Ratchet dropped the blade and shook his helm quickly. "I don't know," he muttered. His optics flashed green one more time before returning to their original yellow.

Meanwhile, Perceptor had watched the whole exchange with interest. "Maybe we can ask your cousin or brother when we get back. They might know something," he said. "In the meantime, we should head back. I don't know about you, but I don't want to run into another one of those things again. At least, not today."

Ratchet and Saber nodded as Perceptor got up and brushed himself off. Ratchet helped Saber up and let her lean on him as they limped back to the Vaults.

* * *

**AN: Alright, just to clear some things up. Saber is my fursona, and Sola is XxSoundwave6xX's fursona. We are best friends in real life, so we know all this about each other. ;D Also, a Lupin is the same thing as a Cyberwolf. I didn't like calling them Cyber**_**wolves**_ **because they don't even know what wolves are. I remember in TFP that ancient cultures were inspired by Cybertronians, so why not languages too? Lupin (Cybertronian) to Lupus (Latin). Get it?**

**Alright, I hope that all helps! Please review. ;)**


	7. I Can't Let You Go

**AN: Next chapter! Sorry it took so long, school has been hard. The title of this chapter was inspired by 10 Years' "Dying Youth".**

* * *

By the time they returned to the vaults, everyone else had already arrived, and some were already in their berths. The only ones awake were Thundercracker, Wheeljack, and Slipstream. Thundercracker approached them with a relieved look on his faceplate.

"Where were you guys? We were getting worried!" he said. Perceptor nodded to Saber. "We had a stowaway that we had to retrieve," he replied. Thundercracker nodded. "Alright."

As the remaining younglings started toward their berths, Ratchet grabbed Perceptor's shoulder pad and pulled him back. "Percy, promise me that we won't talk about what happened out there. Promise!" Perceptor nodded and turned toward the Seekerlet. "I promise, Ratch. Your secret is safe with me."

* * *

"Bleh! What type of energon _is _this, anyway?" Ratchet rolled his optics at Backbeat. "It's low-grade, 'Beat," he reminded her. She simply made a face and pushed the cube away. "It tasted horrible!"

"I think it tastes okay," said Magnus after he took a sip. "A little bland and watery, but fine." He drained his cube, then reached for Backbeat's discarded one. Unfortunately for him, someone else had already grabbed it.

"Sorry!" Wheeljack said, not really looking that sorry about it. He gulped the energon down in one swig, then tossed the empty cube into the center of the table. "Bullseye!" Magnus rolled his optics and huffed in annoyance. Wheeljack was so immature sometimes!

Suddenly Backbeat turned to Ratchet and regarded him quizically. "So, why did you sneak out last night cycle?" she asked. Ratchet sputtered and choked on his energon, then set the cube down and glanced at his cousin with widened optics. "H-how did you know about that?" he asked nervously.

"I heard you leave."

"Oh. Well…I kind of…"

"Spit it out, already!"

"I snuck out of the Vaults!"

A gasp resounded around the table. "You _what_?" cried Magnus. Backbeat and Flatline stared at him disbelievingly. Wheeljack stood up quickly, knocking his stool over in his rush. "That's against the rules! How _could _you?" he exclaimed. Ratchet turned around and glared at Wheeljack, who winked at him mischeviously.

Ratchet growled, then stood up as well. "How could _you_? You were there, too!" Wheeljack shrugged, then bent down and picked up his stool. "Touche." Ratchet groaned as he sat back down. Everyone was still staring at him, though, and he ducked his helm in embarassment.

After everyone was finished, it was back to the berthroom. The caretakers herded all the younglings through the hallway and into the room, then shut the door behind them.

Ratchet, Backbeat, and Flatline sat on their berth, where Flatline and Backbeat were plaguing him with questions about his trip out of the Vaults.

"How did you get out?"

"Well, TC found the way-"

"Was it fun?"

"Yeah, but it was kind of-" He was cut off, though, as a flash of white hot pain flashed through his spark, causing him to double over and clutch his torso. He squeezed his optics shut and whimpered, trying to bear through it. A few pairs of servos were placed on his back and shoulder pads. Frantic calls of "Ratch!" and "What's wrong with him?" swirled around his audio receptors. By his side, he could tell that Flatline was in the same position as him, except he was screaming and clawing at his armor.

Backbeat shifted around on the berth, rubbing her torso as faint flashes of pain arced through her spark. Just enough pain to make her feel uncomfortable, but not enough to hinder her. She grabbed Flatline and drew him close, trying to calm him down. The pain he was going through was the same pain she had felt when her creators and sister had been terminated. Someone close to them must have fallen in battle.

Perceptor and Wheeljack were crouched beside Ratchet, trying to get him to calm down, but it wasn't working. Thundercracker approached and laid a servo on his shoulder pad. "His brother or one of his creators must have been terminated," he whispered quietly.

"Wait!" said Wheeljack as he leaned in closer. "He's saying something.""…lash, Whiplash, Whip…"

Wheeljack leaned back and looked over at Perceptor and Thundercracker. "It's his brother. Something must have happened to him," he said quietly.

Ratchet and Flatline were starting to calm down a bit. Ratchet started to relax, and he slumped into Thundercracker and Perceptor's hold. Flatline leaned back and cuddled up to Backbeat, seeking comfort anywhere he could.

Luckily, someone had gotten a caretaker. She rushed in and ran up to the younglings, then knelt down beside them. She waved Perceptor, Wheeljack, and Thundercracker away and pulled Ratchet and Flatline close to her. "Come on," she said. "I'll take you two up to the communicator." Standing up, she grabbed their servos and lead them out of the room and down the hallway.

Backbeat got up and walked over to Perceptor, who was laying on his berth and fiddling with some mechanical device. He sat up and patted the berth beside him. "Go ahead. Sit down, if you want." Backbeat smiled gratefully and plunked down on the berth. "What'cha makin'?" she asked wearily.

Perceptor turned toward her and held the device in his palms. "It's a little something I was working on for Wheeljack. It's a cloaker. You know, invisibility? I decided to try it out." He noticed that Backbeat was staring at him in awe, and he looked away sheepishly. "My sire was a scientist, and my carrier was an engineer. I picked some things up from them, I guess." Backbeat nodded, then reached out for the cloaker. He gave it to her, then grinned as she turned it this way and that, trying to figure out how it worked.

"Aha!" She flipped a switch and the little machine whirred to life. Two little clamps extended from it, and Backbeat took the hint and placed it on her servo. Suddenly her form flickered, then fizzled into nothing. Perceptor jumped up and smiled triumphantly. "It works! It _really _works!"

* * *

Ratchet and Flatline entered the communicate room and stood at the back, staring down at the floor. Suddenly the bell rang, signaling the entrance of someone. A caretaker left, but was back soon, with two bots that Ratchet and Flatline knew very well: Kup, Whiplash's best friend and Wrecker buddy, and Ambulon, the Wreckers' medic and third member of the former trio.

"Hey," was Ambulon's greeting. Ratchet looked up at him with hopeful optics, but saw no hope in Ambulon's. It was then that he knew for sure: Whiplash was gone.

* * *

**AN: Well, please review! Thanks. ^^**


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